EWoT: Sereille Bagand

   —Elayne Trakand's thoughts of Sereille Bagand[1]

Sereille Bagand was Amyrlin Seat from 866 NE to 890 NE.

Strength, Attitude and Abilities

Sereille was not particularly strong in the One Power for a Sitter. In fact "The Wheel of Time Companion" describes her strength level as 21(9) , but despite it she became one of the most influential Aes Sedai in the last millennium, due to her fierce personality, morality, sternness, and severity.

It is not known if she had some particular talent or ability linked to the One Power or if she bonded a Warder.


Sareille Bagand was born in Far Madding in 586 NE, went to the Tower in 601 NE and after thirteen years as novice and eleven as Accepted she was raised to the shawl in the year 625 NE at age 39 choosing the White Ajah.

She was elected Sitter in the year 738 NE and she maintained this position for twenty-one years. She was elected Sitter during the rule of the ineffective Feragaine Saralman (a Blue). Sereille was lacking of a very great strength in saidar, and had shown no indications that she was extraordinary until she entered the Hall. Despite it her fellow Whites decided to elect her in the Hall, maybe knowing some of her qualities. It is also possible that Sereille's reputation of austere sternness and disciplinary severity was known of outside her own Ajah before her election.

Nevertheless as a Sitter Sereille blossomed virulently, she become more and more forceful, openly asserting her strong willed personality. She could use logic as a knife in argument. With weak Amyrlins and all real power residing in the Hall, she had plenty to show her qualities. She was particularly strong in opposing successful measures that would have increased the power of each Ajah at the expense of the Tower as well as any attempts as self aggrandizement by Sitters.

In the year 759 NE she was nominated Mistress of Novices under the Amyrlin Myriam Copan (a Green) and served in this work for 107 years, an unprecedented long service, under also the two following Amyrlins Zeranda Tyrim (a Brown) and Parenia Demalle (a Gray), becoming legendary. Some said she was appointed Mistress of Novices and maintained there for so long to get her out of the Hall.

Finally, Sereille was elected Amyrlin Seat in the year 866 NE, ruling until her death in 890 NE. She gained a reputation for being tough and a severe disciplinarian, placing strict importance on rules and proprieties.[2] 

She used that toughness and discipline and became one of the greatest Amyrlins in history, raising the influence and prestige of the White Tower to levels seldom equaled since before Artur Hawkwing. It was said that Sereille controlled the Tower by the sheer force of her will.[3]

She couldn't stand Cadsuane Melaidhrin because like herself, Cadsuane had an air of control and confidence. They both expected subservience from each other and therefore they would constantly butt heads with each other. Despite this, Cadsuane thwarted a planned coup to overthrow Sereille. The conspirators, thinking that they would gain support from Cadsuane, who was Sereille's biggest adversary, went to Cadsuane to gain her support. This was a mistake. Cadsuane dragged them to the Amyrlin's office herself. Sereille wasn't particularly pleased to obtain help from someone she despised.[4]

Even Egwene al'Vere, more than a century later, wants to be just as strong an Amyrlin as Sereille was, and Egwene's severeness in discipline is indeed compared to her.[5]

She was Parenia Demalle's successor and Aleis Romlin's predecessor.[6] After her passing, there was a large support in the Hall to make Cadsuane Amyrlin rather than Aleis. Cadsuane, wanting to avoid this, avoided the Tower for an entire ten years.[4]


  1. Winter's Heart, Chapter 8
  2. A Crown of Swords, Chapter 32
  3. The Path of Daggers, Chapter 15
  4. 4.0 4.1 Robert Jordan's bio on Cadsuane Melaidhrin
  5. Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 18
  6. TWORJTWOT, Chapter 24 The White Tower